This Mexican Lasagna post was first published in April 2018. It was updated with new photos, more helpful content on May 3, 2021.
Looking for a comforting meal to feed a crowd (or hungry family!)? This Mexican Lasagna is made with layers of tasty flavor. Perfect for Cinco de Mayo or any family gathering!
Do you host a Cinco de Mayo gathering? If so, or if you're simply looking for more tasty family-friendly meals, We've got the perfect recipe for you!
Mexican Lasagna
Sure, you could throw together some tacos or burritos and call it a day. We do that regularly. It's called Taco Tuesday.
But for a gathering like Cinco de Mayo, or any other special gathering of friends and family, let's do it up a little!
This Mexican Lasagna is an awesome crowd-pleasing dish. You can easily make it spicier if you prefer things on the hot side, or keep it mild – which We did here in this recipe. It makes enough to feed 8 to 10 people easily, and it's so flavorful and satisfying!
Tools and Equipment
You don't need much to make this dish.
- 9 x 13-inch glass baking pan
- Mixing bowl
- Large skillet
Gather your ingredients
We love this recipe because it's truly all about layering on so many yummy flavors in one dish.
You've got tomatoes, beans, mushrooms + ground beef, fragrant onions and garlic, sandwiched nicely between layers of tortillas and cheese. For the fellow dairy-free friends, this works beautifully with your fave non-dairy cheese shreds, too!
You can add in some cilantro and black olives between the layers if you wish, or you could top each slice with olives and cilantro at the end as garnish and allow some guests to leave them off.
We have some friends who are adverse to cilantro, so the latter is the way We choose to make and serve this Mexican Lasagna. Personally, We LOVE cilantro – the more the better! But, you can also use parsley instead.
Blend of Meat + Mushrooms
Part of what makes this dish EXTRA rich in flavor is the blend of chopped mushrooms and ground beef.
The family rarely cooks with ground beef at home, but this dish truly calls for ground beef vs. ground turkey or chicken. We reduced the amount of ground beef a recipe like this would normally call for by replacing it with chopped cremini mushrooms.
If you have big red meat lovers at home, trust me: they will NOT notice the reduced red meat in this dish. By chopping up mushrooms to the consistency of ground beef, they easily mimic meat. Plus, they are fat-free, cholesterol free, low in calories, and packed with vitamin D, B vitamins, antioxidants and potassium. Superfood!
How to make this recipe
Full instructions are listed in the printable recipe card, but here are the basic steps. Scroll down for the printable recipe.
Step 1 – Preheat oven to 350° degrees F. Grease a 9″ x 13″ glass baking dish with butter, oil, or cooking spray. Set aside.
Step 2 – In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, mushrooms, onions, and garlic and cook until meat is fully cooked. Stir in taco seasoning. Turn off heat.
Step 3 – In a medium bowl, mix fire roasted tomatoes with tomato paste, salt, and pepper.
Step 4 – Layer the Ingredients.
- Spoon the tomato mixture into the bottom of the greased pan and spread it out simply enough to cover the bottom of the pan.
- Then add a layer of tortillas so they simply overlap at the ends, with the cut (straight) sides facing out and touching the sides of the pan.
- Top with a layer of beans, then the meat & mushroom mixture, and cheeses.
- Sprinkle a laryer of black olives and chopped cilantro, if using (totally optional)
- Repeat layers until you reach almost the top of the pan (you may need more or fewer tortillas, depending on how you layer them), ending with a generous sprinkling of cheese.
Step 5 – Bake uncovered at 350°F degrees for 30-45 minutes, until the cheese has melted. Mine is usually done right around the 40-minute mark.
Optional: slice into squares and serve with sliced olives, garnish with chopped cilantro, and serve with a dollop of sour cream.
Perfect for Meal Prep
You can also make this for meal prep. Cook it once, then refrigerate or freeze individual portions for the rest of the week.
Or, enjoy half for one dinner, and then freeze the other half for a dinner in the future.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Or freeze for up to 2 months.
Wine pairings for Mexican Lasagna
Most Mexican dishes have lots of spice and zest to them, so We'll often pair the dish with beer, a bright Pinot Gris, or a cider.
However, this Mexican Lasagna has BIG rich flavors that call for a big red wine. We suggest pairing it as you would a regular Italian lasagna: with a Chianti, a Malbec, or even a Cabernet Sauvignon. The smooth tannins and dark fruit flavors go beautifully with the luscious tomato sauce and rich cheeses.
We also enjoy this dish with a sultry Tempranillo or Spanish Garnacha.
A crowd-pleasing dish the whole family will love
This recipe is sure to become a family favorite. Depending on how you slice the lasagna, this could easily feed a family of four or five with a few folks taking a couple of servings, or serve 6-8 people who each take one large serving.
We hope you love it as much as we do!
More Cinco de Mayo Recipes
- Simple Pico de Gallo
- Shrimp Tacos
- Pressure-cooker Salsa Chicken
- How to Cook Taco Meat in the Pressure-cooker (from frozen)
- 15 minute restaurant-style salsa
- Vegan Queso Dip
- Tex-Mex Vegetarian Sheet Pan Nachos
More recipes with mushrooms
- Meaty Mushroom Puff Pastry Cups (Vol-au-vents)
- Teriyaki Mushroom Sausage Lettuce Wraps
- Pork & Pasta with Mushroom Herb Sauce
Mexican Lasagna
By Marlynn Schotland Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 30 mins Total Time: 40 mins Servings: 8 people This Mexican Lasagna is a crowd-pleasing dish with layers of yummy flavor!Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ pound mushrooms, finely chopped, cremini or white button mushrooms
- ½ cup white or yellow onion, diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 can fire roasted tomatoes (14.5 oz)
- 1 can tomato paste (6 oz)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 6-8 soft flour tortillas, sliced in half
- 1 can black beans (14.5 oz), drained
- 2 cups Mexican cheese blend, or blend of cheddar, colby, and Monterey Jack
- 2 tablespoon cilantro, chopped (optional)
- ½ cup sliced black olives (optional)
- sour cream (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9″ x 13″ glass baking dish with butter, oil, or cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large nonstick skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, mushrooms, onions, and garlic and cook until meat is fully cooked. Stir in taco seasoning. Turn off heat.
- In a medium bowl, mix fire roasted tomatoes with tomato paste, salt, and pepper.
Layering the Mexican Lasagna
- Start with the tomato mixture, simply enough to cover the bottom of the pan.
- Then add a layer of tortillas so they simply overlap at the ends, with the cut (straight) sides facing out and touching the sides of the pan.
- Top with a layer of beans, then the meat & mushroom mixture, and cheeses.
- At this point, you can add a sprinkling of black olives and chopped cilantro if you'd like. Or, you can leave them out – it's up to you!
- Repeat layers until you reach almost the top of the pan (you may need more or fewer tortillas, depending on how you layer them), ending with a generous sprinkling of cheese.
- Bake uncovered at 350F degrees for 30-45 minutes (mine's done around 40 minutes), until the cheese has melted.
- Optional: slice into squares and serve with sliced olives, garnish with chopped cilantro, and serve with a dollop of sour cream.
Notes
Reheating in the oven: Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until hot in the center. Reheating in the microwave: Cook for 60-90 seconds on a microwave-safe plate.Nutrition
Calories: 424 kcal, Carbohydrates: 28 g, Protein: 23 g, Fat: 25 g, Saturated Fat: 10 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10 g, Trans Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 67 mg, Sodium: 950 mg, Potassium: 643 mg, Fiber: 6 g, Sugar: 6 g, Vitamin A: 815 IU, Vitamin C: 7 mg, Calcium: 268 mg, Iron: 4 mgNutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This post was first published in April 2018. It was updated with new photos, more helpful content on May 3, 2021.
